US petroleum trade group to expand outreach in '07

WASHINGTON: The American Petroleum Institute (API), the trade association representing the US oil and natural gas industry, said it plans to broaden "educational advocacy" efforts directed at public policy experts, regulatory officials, and other influential individuals starting in January 2007.

WASHINGTON: The American Petroleum Institute (API), the trade association representing the US oil and natural gas industry, said it plans to broaden "educational advocacy" efforts directed at public policy experts, regulatory officials, and other influential individuals starting in January 2007.

The expanded outreach will include a program to organize tours of oil facilities and other types of interaction with public "influencers" such as think tanks and lawmakers; continued speeches and other public appearances by industry executives and economists at events around the US; and increased use of TV advertising.

API president Red Cavaney said the group expected this outreach to last several years.

A sharp rise in gas prices last spring prompted an overall aggressive public outreach from the API, assisted by Edelman, and individual energy companies.

"We took a hard look and found people didn't understand the industry," he said. "We have no control over the price of oil or [related] taxes, which are an area of fuel costs that have far and away gone up the most. We've also worked to put earnings in perspective, to explain how we reinvest them."

The API has also been running ads in various print titles since the hurricane season last year.